New Haven, CT – April 22, 2026 – Rho Bio, a startup spun out from Yale University, has been selected as an awardee of the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) Groundbreaking Lymphatic Interventions and Drug Exploration (GLIDE) program. Rho Bio is part of a multi-institutional award, led by Stanley Rockson, MD, Allan and Tina Neill Professor of Lymphatic Research and Medicine at Stanford University, uniting leading experts across the U.S. and U.K. to develop what could become the first preventive therapeutic strategy for lymphedema following breast cancer surgery.

GLIDE represents one of the largest federal commitments to lymphatic medicine to date. Despite the lymphatic system’s central role in immune function, fluid balance, and tissue repair, there are currently no FDA-approved drugs that directly target it. Millions of patients living with lymphatic disorders rely on lifelong symptom management. The program is designed to accelerate the first generation of therapies that restore lymphatic function at its source.

A First-in-Class Approach to Lymphedema

At the center of the collaboration is a combination strategy pairing Rho Bio’s lymphatic-specific protein therapeutic, developed at Yale University by Eric Song, MD, PhD, with an implantable device engineered by James Moore, PhD, at Imperial College London. The therapy is designed to be deployed at the time of cancer surgery to stimulate lymphatic vessel regeneration—intervening before lymphedema becomes a chronic condition.

The device platform will also be evaluated alongside therapeutic candidates from collaborators at Rutgers and Harvard, creating parallel validation paths and increasing the probability of clinical translation.

Rho Bio Built on Foundational Lymphatic Discoveries

Rho Bio’s therapeutic platform builds on discoveries that expanded the biological map of the lymphatic system, including identification of lymphatic vessels in the brain and the eye. The company was founded by leaders in immunology and vascular biology—Eric Song, MD, PhD (Yale University); Jonathan Kipnis, PhD (University of Washington in St. Louis); Aaron Ring, MD, PhD (Fred Hutchinson Cancer Institute); and Akiko Iwasaki, PhD (Yale University) — whose collective work has redefined understanding of immune–lymphatic interactions. Leveraging this scientific foundation, the team engineered a protein therapeutic through directed evolution of VEGF-C variants to selectively activate lymphatic signaling while minimizing off-target effects.  

“We’re going to continue to grow that base of knowledge of what happens when we upregulate the lymphatic system and what it means for human health,” said Dr. Song. “The ARPA-H GLIDE award represents a crucial step in translating years of fundamental lymphatic biology research into a therapy that could prevent lymphedema in breast cancer survivors.” 

Accelerating Toward the Clinic

ARPA-H funding will support full preclinical characterization of Rho Bio’s therapeutic for systemic use and may advance the program through IND-enabling studies—critical milestones on the path to clinical trials. 

“This award accelerates both our timeline and our ambition,” said Jennifer Beecham, COO of Rho Bio. “ARPA-H validation underscores the scale of the opportunity in lymphatic medicine. We believe targeted lymphatic activation represents an entirely new therapeutic category, with potential applications that extend well beyond lymphedema.” 

By combining protein engineering, device innovation, and leading academic science, the GLIDE collaboration positions Rho Bio at the forefront of translating lymphatic biology into first-in-class therapeutics. 

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Media Contact: info@rho.bio

About Lymphedema

Lymphedema is a chronic, progressive condition characterized by tissue swelling due to impaired lymphatic drainage. In the United States, an estimated 20-40% of breast cancer patients who undergo lymph node removal develop lymphedema, which can lead to reduced mobility, recurrent infections, and significantly diminished quality of life. Current treatment options are limited to compression garments and physical therapy, with no approved pharmaceutical interventions available. 

Additional Information

ARPA-H GLIDE Program: https://arpa-h.gov/explore-funding/programs/glide